Sand and...More Sand

Have you ever been in a situation so long that it is difficult for you to keep perspective, where you are constantly focusing on what still needs to be done that you forget about all you have accomplished? That's where I've been finding myself lately. While I know that our life is far from perfect, I have decided to become aware of how far we have come in the past four years. So...

This is the first post from what I'm calling, Praise the Progress Week. This week I am focusing on milestones, looking for the positives and honoring the advancements O has made on his journey as a boy with sensational needs.

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. 

The other is as though everything is a miracle." - Albert Einstein

I love the beach! M loves the beach! The girls love the beach! So, it only makes sense that O would love the beach, too. Right?

As you can see from the photo, O did not like the beach. In fact, he showed an extreme dislike for it. That photo was taken when O was 13 months old, during his first real trip to the beach. We had taken him before, as an infant, but he spent those trips cradled in someone's arms, most likely sleeping or being fed, not experiencing the sights, sounds, and textures of the beach.

For a long time after that trip, two years to be exact, we avoided the beach. After all, it was not very fun, when two active girls, who love the water and the sand, had to cut their playtime short because their brother wouldn't stop screaming. But, we missed the beach.

So, last summer, during our family vacation to San Diego, we tried the beach again. We were very careful to search out the best spot. As M drove the car around San Diego, I scoped out all possible beach locations. Finally, we found it. It was a small patch of beach that was very near an area of grass and a play structure. That way, if the sand was a no, we had back-up.

Although it wasn't an instant love, check out these photos...

What progress! I was so thrilled, I sent photos to O's previous teachers and OT, who had worked so hard with him on experiencing and tolerating different textures. This was a real milestone for him, for all of us.

Hoping this means we can be a beach family again!